13TH STUDIO ALBUM STRENGTH OF A WOMAN TOPS BILLBOARD R&B ALBUM CHART UPON RELEASE

(May 15th, 2017) – Nine-time GRAMMY® Award-winner, Golden Globe® Award nominee and multiplatinum R&B legend Mary J. Blige has announced plans to embark on her highly anticipated North American STRENGTH OF A WOMAN TOUR, which kicks off Sunday, July 30th at the Chicago Theater. The multi-city trek will feature stops in major cities throughout the US including New York’s MSG Theater and LA’s Greek Theater (full routing below).

The tour announcement comes on the heels of Blige’s 13th studio album release, STRENGTH OF A WOMAN, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s R&B Album Chart and has received critical praise since its April 28th release on Capitol Records. The New York Times called the album “empowering” in a recent review while the Guardian hailed that “Blige’s vocals alone are a reminder of why she remains so important to the genre”. Featuring production by DJ Camper, Bam, Hit-Boy, and KAYTRANADA, the new release also features collaborations with Quavo (of Migos), DJ Khaled, Missy Elliot and Kanye West who lends vocal support on the album’s latest single “Love Yourself”.

MARY J. BLIGE will play Red Hat Amphitheater on August 10. Tickets for the STRENGTH OF A WOMAN TOUR go on-sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 19th at 10am. Fan Club, VIP and Pandora Premium pre-sale will go on-sale on May 17th at 10am. A Citicard pre-sale will begin Wednesday, May 17th at 12pm and a special Pandora, Facebook and Live Nation pre-sale will be available May 18th at 10am. For all ticket purchase information, please visit http://www.maryjblige.com/.

This Summer, Maxwell will embark on a headlining arena tour kicking off at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on May 23rd.

MAXWELL with special guests Ledisi and Leela James will play Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh on Friday May 26. Tickets go on sale Friday April 14 at 10am at LiveNation.com, via the Live Nation app, Duke Energy Center and Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek box offices, Ticketmaster, or by phone 800-745-3000. TIDAL member ticket presale goes live April 11 at 10am. Artist VIP Packages that include meet & greets with all artists will be available April 11 via Future Beat. Additionally, $1 from every ticket purchased will be donated to Artists for Peace and Justice.

Maxwell is also playing Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville SC on May 24 and Colonial Life Arena in Columbia SC on June 6. Tickets for the two South Carolina shows are on sale now at LiveNation.com, via the Live Nation app, the venue box offices, Ticketmaster, or by phone 800-745-3000. Special guests Common and Ledisi will join Maxwell in Greenville. Special guests Ledisi and Leela James will join Maxwell in Columbia.

TIDAL exclusively debuted the Philip Andelman-directed music video for “Gods,” the “sparkling” (Pitchfork) cut from Maxwell’s recent album ‘blackSUMMERS’night’ (Columbia). Shot in various Los Angeles locations, Maxwell says “inspiration stemmed from having an experience of sort of seeing the spiritual parallel universe–that which can’t be seen. Art is subjective, visions evolve and I want fans to interpret the video on their own. I hope they enjoy it.”

Maxwell has had a busy past 12 months. In July, he released his much-anticipated ‘blackSUMMERS’night,’ the second installment of his musical trilogy encompassing his 20+ year career. The album garnered praise from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Complex, NPR and more, and the album earned him his third-Grammy (Best R&B Song for “Lake By The Ocean”), an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Male Artist), and a Soul Train Award (Best R&B/Soul Male Artist).

In November, Maxwell embarked on the co-headlining The King and Queen of Hearts World Tour with Mary J. Blige, which took him to arenas around the world. Maxwell kicked off 2017 by performing at the Women’s March on Washington D.C. in January, and this summer he will be performing songs off ‘blackSUMMERS’night’ along with hits from his long-standing career.